World Press Freedom Day today: 'Stop spying on journalists'

The theme of World Press Freedom Day 2022 being observed today is 'Journalism under digital siege'. According to the United Nations, the theme focuses on the several ways in which journalism is endangered by surveillance and digitally-mediated attacks on journalists, and the consequences of all this on public trust in digital communications.

Hyderabad:Today is the World Press Freedom Day 2022. Every year, May 3 is a date which recognises the fundamental principles of press freedom, to evaluate press freedom around the world, to defend the media from attacks on their independence and to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the exercise of their profession.

The theme of World Press Freedom Day 2022 is 'Journalism under digital siege'. According to the United Nations, the theme focuses on the several ways in which journalism is endangered by surveillance and digitally-mediated attacks on journalists, and the consequences of all this on public trust in digital communications. The UN also mentioned that the surveillance can uncover information collected by journalists including from whistle-blowers and can harm the journalists' safety.

IFJ calls for global solutions to combat journalists surveillance

Cases of spying on journalists and media workers using sophisticated spyware programs have multiplied in recent years all over the world. To mark World Press Freedom Day, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and all its affiliates have urged governments across the world and international bodies to work together with journalists’ unions to develop strict regulations that ban surveillance of journalists and recognise the inviolability of journalists' communications.

"Growing reporting revealing the breadth and extent of the use of spyware to surveil journalists and governments all over the world reveals that surveillance of journalists is one of the main and most worrying threats to press freedom. From Asia Pacific to Latin America, passing by European and the Middle East, governments have reportedly used sophisticated spyware products designed to fight crime to target independent journalists," the IFJ said in an official statement.

The lack of regulations and control over the use of this kind of spyware, originally designed to fight crime and terrorism, enables a malicious use of it against journalists, politicians, human rights advocates and civil society leaders, the IFJ said. In the case of journalists and media workers, this spyware has been widely used to spy on journalists’ working devices, it added.

"By just clicking on an apparently innocent link, a device is infected and allows attackers full access to passwords, accounts, calls, emails, and even encrypted communications. It can also record video, audio, and read messages without users knowing. With full access to journalists’ key working tools, governments can uncover sources, undermine research, intimidate media workers and in some cases, stop their reporting," the statement read.

India on World Press Freedom Index

India has retained its position on the 2021 World Press Freedom Index at 142 out of 180 countries. In a report released by the international journalism nonprofit—Reporters without Borders—India continues to be in the category of countries considered ‘bad’ for journalism. Other countries in this category include Brazil, Russia, and Mexico.

With “four journalists killed in connection with their work in 2020, India is one of the world’s most dangerous countries for journalists trying to do their job properly,” stated the report. It also highlighted the curbs on freedom of expression on social media, citing India’s case where the “arbitrary nature of Twitter’s algorithms also resulted in brutal censorship”.

The Index ranks 180 countries and was topped by Norway, Finland, Sweden and Denmark .Among the South Asian countries, Nepal at 106, Sri Lanka at 127, and Myanmar (pre-coup) at 140 have fared better than India, while Pakistan ranks at 145, and Bangladesh at 152. The report also noted that “only 12 of the Index’s 180 countries (7 percent) can claim to offer a favourable environment for journalism”.

India Press Freedom Report 2021

The report stated that at least six journalists were killed and 121 journalists/media houses were targeted in India. The highest number of journalists/media organisations targeted was in Jammu and Kashmir (25), followed by Uttar Pradesh (23) and Madhya Pradesh (16). At least eight female journalists faced arrest, summon, first information reports (FIRs) and sexual harassment.

Press freedom status across the globe

From 2016 to the end of 2021, 455 journalists were killed for their work or while on the job, according to UNESCO's Freedom of expression and Media Development Global Report 2021-22. From 2016 to the end of 2020, Mexico, followed by Afghanistan and the Syrian Arab Republic, recorded the highest number of journalist killings.

Other threats against journalists, online and offline, continue to grow. 73 percent of women journalists responding to a survey by UNESCO and the International Center for Journalists had experienced online violence in the course of their work. Moreover, women continue to be underrepresented at leadership levels in news organizations and on “hard news” beats like politics, while both qualitative and quantitative studies suggest persistent biases in women’s representation in the news and the marginalization of women as expert sources.

Approximately 85 percent of the world’s population experienced a decline in press freedom in their country over the past five years, according to analysis based on data from the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Institute.